Under the Lens

The Under the Lens project is a collaboration between Parks Victoria and Museum Victoria to collect high quality imagery and video of Victoria’s marine national parks and sanctuaries. In 2008 an initial pilot project commenced and in 2010 the partnership was formalised. To date, ten MPAs have been surveyed by Under the Lens divers including Port Phillip Heads, Wilsons Promontory, Corner Inlet and Yaringa marine national parks, and Beware Reef and Ricketts Point marine sanctuaries.

The project not only generates fascinating imagery, it also incorporates basic surveys of marine life. For example, Under the Lens divers have discovered many new species in Victoria’s waters throughout the duration of the project.

The broad aims are related to informing management and include:

Developing flora and fauna checklists for the marine national parks and sanctuaries to help fill gaps in our knowledge of biodiversity

Conducting surveillance for introduced species to enable early detection and response to pest invasions